Clever Clogs tip # 685
8 January 2022


Add follow-up reminder text and column to an email (Microsoft Outlook) *

This week's tip is inspired by a question from Patricia, who asked whether there is a way to add and display a follow-up action to an email.

As always, there are various ways (all of them not ideal, I'd say) and you need to find a system that works for you. But I wonder whether working with custom flags could do the trick. And why not add it as an extra column to make it even more visible?

Here's how:

  1. Press CTRL + SHIFT + G. (If you don't like keyboard shortcuts you can first add a flag and then right-click it.)
  2. Type your reminder text.
  3. If you want, change the Start and Due date and/or set a Reminder.
  4. Press ENTER or click OK.

The text you typed will only be visible in the Reading Pane, so I recommend adding the Follow Up Flag column.

The easiest way to add the column is to right-click any of the column headings and select Field Chooser. Next, simply drag Follow Up Flag to your desired spot.

Thanks for the tip inspiration, Patricia!

Related tips

  1. Set a date using English words and formulas - tip_614.php
  2. Setting a follow-up reminder for an email message - tip_103.html
  3. Set a flag to remind recipients to reply by a specific date - tip_477.php
  4. Remove flagged messages from your For Follow Up folder using your keyboard: tip_679.php
  5. Display your flagged messages in a "For Follow Up" folder: tip_443.php
  6. How to change the view of all your Outlook folders: tip_389.php


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.